Red-hot Wilmington shuts down Lisle

Running into an opponent that is on a hot streak usually isn't a fun experience.

That proved true for Lisle Friday night when it ran into the buzzsaw known as Wilmington. The Lions lost their Homecoming game 24-0 at Benedictine University in Lisle.

On the season the Wildcats (5-1, 4-0 Interstate Eight Small) have given up only 13 points in their six games and have now shut out their last five opponents. But Lisle still had its chances to put points on the board.

The Lions (3-3, 2-2) were in the inside the 15-yard line three times on the night and just couldn't punch the ball in. Lisle turned the ball over on downs twice and fumbled once on its three trips in the red zone.

"You don't start the season thinking you are going to go on a streak like we have these last five games," Wilmington coach Jeff Reents said. "I think our guys are definitely locked in on keeping that streak alive now. We played well and caught some breaks."

The Lions had their backs against the wall before the offense even stepped on the field. Wilmington marched down the field on a 69-yard drive to start the game as Mike Wolfe caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Sean Liaromatis for the first score. Lisle then fumbled the ensuing kickoff but held the Wildcats to a 33-yard field goal.

"Being down 10-0 before our offense took its first snap definitely hurt us," Lisle coach Dan Sanko said. "We had a good defensive stand to force the field goal, but we self-destructed when we had opportunities to get back into the game."

One bright spot for Lisle was receiver Dawon Burrell, who hauled in 7 passes for 109 yards. Burrell, playing with a bad ankle, talked about how he and his teammates were ready to put together a complete game, but instead they played with a lack of composure.

"We were ready for them tonight," Burrell said. "We had a lot of energy tonight, but we had some turnovers that really hurt us. After falling behind 10-0 we kind of panicked, but we just needed to calm down and play our game. Sometimes plays just don't go your way and tonight was one of those games."

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